What did you do to your V11 today?

[Guzzimax]

[80CX100]

Guzzimax, not many other bikes intrigue me, but I like the look of that MT01, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on it compared to your guzzis. 

They're as rare as hen's teeth in Canada, they may not have sold a lot of them, but they've definitely got a cult status thing going now.

Glad to hear you describe it as heavy to push around compared to the V11, helps quell the jonesing a bit, lol.

[VtwinStorm]

20 hours ago, 80CX100 said:

Guzzimax, not many other bikes intrigue me, but I like the look of that MT01, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on it compared to your guzzis. 

They're as rare as hen's teeth in Canada, they may not have sold a lot of them, but they've definitely got a cult status thing going now.

Glad to hear you describe it as heavy to push around compared to the V11, helps quell the jonesing a bit, lol.

That MT-01 really looks the business next to a V11. Great contrast and great taste.

[Rox Lemans]

3 hours ago, Guzzimax said:

Man, I'd love an MT-01 in my stable.😍

[VtwinStorm]

2 hours ago, Rox Lemans said:

Man, I'd love an MT-01 in my stable.😍

Yes, it's like a Japanese Buell, but, you know, without a garbage asthmatic Hardly-Abelson engine. 😂

Confession: I really wanted an XB12R around 2 years ago. The YammerHammer is still better. It has to be.

[gstallons]

If you had ridden one ,you WOULD have a different opinion . I rode a White Lightning about 5 miles about a year after my buddy purchased it . I stopped it , shut it off , got off and looked at the engine at least 5 times to make sure it DID have a V-twin engine that looked like a H-D engine . YES , it did . Did it start , idle and run like a H-D ? NO . 

 Did it take care of business . YEAH !  

The reason Buell tanked . Harley owners wouldn't buy something that didn't run like a H-D .

[VtwinStorm]

2 minutes ago, gstallons said:

If you had ridden one ,you WOULD have a different opinion . I rode a White Lightning about 5 miles about a year after my buddy purchased it . I stopped it , shut it off , got off and looked at the engine at least 5 times to make sure it DID have a V-twin engine that looked like a H-D engine . YES , it did . Did it start , idle and run like a H-D ? NO . 

 Did it take care of business . YEAH !  

The reason Buell tanked . Harley owners wouldn't buy something that didn't run like a H-D .

Erik Buell is a brilliant engineer, and he did some work on the XB9 and XB12 engines to make them better, but they were never known for being high quality. Also, an XB12 cost around the same as any number of Japan Inc. literbikes at the time. That, and HD cultists shunning Buells, and them not being competitive, not selling enough motorcycles, killed the brand.

[gstallons]

BTW , this kid owned two other H-Ds too . Did I mention he installed , maybe 18 tires in the first 24 months of ownership ? The front tire was barely used .

He rode it like it was stolen !

[Guzzimax]

80XC100 asked me how I feel the MT01 compares to my Guzzi’s

It’s very difficult to pigeon-hole the MT01; it’s no sports bike, it’s not a cruiser (but it’s got a cruiser engine), it’s not a tourer. Perhaps that’s why when it was in production from 2005 ~ 2011 it was a sales flop. They’re as rare as hens teeth here in the UK as well, but now rapidly achieving cult status. I think they look incredible - Mad Max meets Godzilla, they have massive road presence, and wherever you park it, it always draws a crowd usually with “what the hellisthat” questioning. Some folk confuse them with a Yamaha Bulldog 1100. 
Firstly I have to say I’ve never ridden any Buell, in the UK they are also as rare as hens teeth, so I can’t use that as a benchmark.

The MT01 is a torque monster, 2000 rpm = 60 mph. It’s only a 5 speed box, but unless you doing 80 mph+ you rarely need 5th. Overtaking anything up to close to the ton is easy, open the throttle and the wall of torque pushes you forward like a warp drive. At 4500 rpm it’s all over! But it’s a very tall heavy bike, something like 260 kgs wet (574 lbs), and it feels like it carries it’s weight high. You have to work hard in the twisties, at the time of its production, some road testers praised its handling, but you can’t forget it’s bulk, it turns in slowly despite not having a massively long wheelbase (1525 mm; V11 black frame 1490 mm; Griso 1554 mm 61”). I think the suspension is a little under damped for it’s weight. After an hour or so in the saddle, you need to take a break from the vibration. 
On the plus side the finish is incredible, polished pushrod tubes, the extruded aluminium frame looks like a work of art, mine is 16 years old and still looks terrific 

Today I took the MT out on the same route I did on my Griso 8v last Sunday, and my Greenie 2 weeks ago

In terms of ride satisfaction my scoring is (1)Griso 8V (2) V11 (3) MT01

I will write a more comprehensive comparison when I have more time. My conclusion is the MT01 is too much of a niche bike - great to have in your stable if you can indulge yourself with several bikes, but too compromised to be a great all round riders tool. The Griso 8V is a great all round riders tool, and the V11 is a worthy runner up, just edged into second place by the fabulous 8V Guzzi big block. I have to say that if I could only have one bike I’m my garage it would be a hard choice between an Öhlins equipped V11, or a Griso 8V, but it wouldn’t be the MT01 

[Guzzimax]

[Guzzimax]

If anyone from the UK is reading this post, this is the pavilion car park in Matlock bath, this afternoon 

[Guzzimax]

Last week, same location, same ride, my Griso parked behind the Beamer R1150, my fluorescent backpack resting on the then cold exhaust 

[Dave Swanson]

Nice ride followed by a photo op.

 

[LowRyter]

No MT01 imported to US. I saw one on a trip to Europe.  I took a photo of it since I was tourist with a camera.

[Guzzimax]

Apparently Yamaha Motor Corp declined to import the MT01 into the US, claiming there wasn’t any market for it